Roadway Inn Closing (via The Gathering Place)

June is Pride Month, which enables us to promote & celebrate the LGBTQ+ community while also continuing to shed light on and fight for political liberties. While strides have been made, there’s still so much work to be done!  

One of Denver’s community organizations, The Gathering Place, continues to push to combat poverty and address the impacts of marginalization and oppression that impact transgender people, women and children. We join TGP in solidarity & sadness that the City and County of Denver has decided to close their 24/7 non-congregate shelter that serves transgender, a women and non-binary individuals on August 31, 2023. The closure will displace 76 current residents & 32 staff members. 

Currently, the Rodeway’s non-congregate shelter allows all 76 guests to have private rooms. This shelter model was implemented during the pandemic as traditional congregate shelters didn’t allow safe spacing for guests. What shelter providers have since learned is that the non-congregate model aids in better outcomes for guests. People are better able to regain independence and are more likely to transition to long-term affordable housing. The non-congregate model is now considered best practice. At the Rodeway shelter, the model helped more than 114 guests achieve stable, long-term housing in its three years of operation.  

In Metro Denver, women, transgender, and non-binary individuals make up 39% of the  
population experiencing homelessness. Many guests at Rodeway are survivors of intimate partner violence and sexual assault and feel unsafe staying in places where cisgender men also live.  

Transgender and non-binary individuals are among the most vulnerable to abuse, exploitation, and harm while living unsheltered. Transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals are also more likely to be unsheltered. While 26% of men and 19% of women counted in the 2020 Point in Time count were unsheltered, 32% of transgender individuals and 53% of gender nonconforming individuals counted were unsheltered. 

According to the City’s Department of Housing Stability Five-Year Strategic Plan, “Both adults and minors who identify as LGBTQ+ and experience homelessness face challenges within the shelter system, particularly with regard to safety and gender-affirming supports and can be at a heightened risk for violence.  

Want to learn more about TGP and ways you can support the community? Visit https://tgpdenver.org/volunteer/individual-volunteers.html